Continuing Pastor Obie’s message, the Greek word “Oikos” means household or family within a house. Oikos is the word used to describe our relational world, your primary base relationships, and your relational sphere of influence. The Oikos principle of evangelism is evangelism towards your effective relational circle (family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances, and co-workers). A person has a social band-width to maintain a healthy close circle base of between 5-15 people – that is your Oikos.
Surveys show that 70-90% of people attribute coming to faith because of a friend or family member’s leading them to Christ. If this method of evangelism is that effective on bring people to saving faith in Jesus Christ, then we need to pay attention, learn it, understand it, and live it out. Tell those around you how sin against a holy God deserves the wrath of a just God. Tell them of your sorrow and repenting of those grievous sins in your life. Tell of how, out of the grace of this merciful God, He sent sinless Christ to pay the wages of sin in your place and by His death on that Cross, you were forgiven and saved through faith; you have changed from hell-bound to heaven-bound. Tell how you have been converted, consecrated, sanctified and transformed with a new heart that desires godliness, holiness and to walk with the indwelling Holy Spirit with the blessed word will and way of God, found in Bible. Tell them how by Jesus’ resurrection, sin and death was conquered and as a Believer, your soul shall rise in victory with Him. That by Christ’ ascension into Heaven to the right hand of God the Father, a place is prepared for you for all eternity there as a child of God and citizen of the kingdom. Tell them how your life has changed. And tell them that all this is available to them also, right now.
The first step in this evangelism is to be obedient to Christ and “identify” who are those five to fifteen people in which you are in a close relationship circle with. God is putting people into life for a purpose. The second step in this evangelism is to “intercede”. Start by intercessory prayer for the people in your identified close relationship circle, standing in the gap for these people, lifting them up before the Lord for salvation in Christ. Pay that God would start doing something in their lives and the Holy Spirit to do a work in their heart to draw them to Himself through Jesus as Savior and Lord. When we pray, God works. Colossians 1:9-10 says, “We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
The third step in this evangelism is “invest”. The invitation will only go as far as the investment we make in the relationship. Be a good friend or family member and represent Christ accurately. Friends and family don’t let friends and family die; they rescue them. Present the Savior of the world as a true Christian should, representing Jesus to the people in your life. You are a lighted billboard for Christ and His church. People observe the way that you live, the way that you speak, and the way that you treat others based on your love of Jesus, being left with a positive impression of Christ and His church. Either now by Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” or later by 1 Peter 2:12 “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.” The main way to invest in people (loving and showing Christ’s love to them) is to spend time with them.
Let's conclude Pastor Obie's message on Evangelism in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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